


Undaunted

by 0bviousLeigh



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 16:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15644448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bviousLeigh/pseuds/0bviousLeigh
Summary: Moon thought she understood what having a baby would mean.





	Undaunted

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Whispering Spell](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14760230) by [0bviousLeigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bviousLeigh/pseuds/0bviousLeigh). 



> A companion piece to my previous story "The Whispering Spell," basically a retelling of that story from Moon's perspective.

Moon thought she understood what having a baby would mean. Once she was sure she was pregnant she told River, and he was predictably delighted. They waited an appropriate number of weeks before they made the announcement, and Mewni celebrated the upcoming arrival of a royal baby. Everyone refers to the unborn child as a girl, though of course it could be a boy, but Moon has done the reading of past queen’s diaries, and all the signs point to a girl. Moon and River have a nursery prepared, Moon starts to ensure the baby will have clothes, toys, and the best caregivers possible.

It isn’t until the first time she feels the baby move that it hits her—she was having a baby.

It’s nearly dawn, and at first Moon can’t understand what had woken her, but then she feels it, a small stirring coming from within her body. She puts her hands over her belly and it happens again.

Moon is frozen. She knows she should wake River up so he can feel their baby move, too, but she’s suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that she has no idea what she is doing.

She can prepare the nursery all she wants, she can get clothes and toys and nursemaids, but there is a living person growing inside of her and she’s suddenly terrified. This is a future Queen of Mewni stirring in her body, she’s going to be scrutinized from the moment she’s born—she’s going to have the needs of a kingdom on her shoulders one day! She’s going to learn magic, she’s going to play and run, she’s going to laugh and cry, she’s going to brush her hair and scrape her knees, she’s going to fall in love, she’s going to get her heart broken, she’s going to have to do things that scare her, she’s going to want to do things that she simply can’t do.

And, Moon realizes with growing horror, someday she’s going to have to do it alone.

Moon gets out of bed and goes to the powder room. She clamps her hands over her mouth as nausea overwhelms her. She leans against the door and tears sting her eyes. She never thought she could miss her mother more than she did on the day she died, but now Moon misses her even more. She wishes she could ask her mother what to do—how does she raise a child, any child, never mind a future queen? How does she make sure that her baby will be prepared for what’s coming?

Moon wasn’t prepared when her mother died, even though she studied and did everything right. She had been so young, so sure that her mother was unstoppable. She wants her daughter to be more prepared than she was. Moon hopes that she’ll live to see her daughter grow up, take the throne, get married and have her own baby, but what if she doesn’t? What if the worst happens, and her baby is left alone the way she was?

River finds her in the library hours later, pouring over the biographies of past queens and making notes. She’s planning her daughter’s life month by month with everything she could possibly need to learn to be a queen who can make the tough choices.

“Darling, what are you doing?” River asks.

Moon hopes she sounds more confident than she feels. “Making sure our baby will be taken care of in case things go wrong.”

River understands, of course. He puts a hand on her waist and gently leads her out of the library. “Come now, you’ve done enough for today.”

“Have I, though?” Moon asks. “Who can ever say when it’s enough?”

“Who indeed?” River asks, looking at her through narrowed eyes. “I wonder what Queen has ever felt ready to take the throne, and what mother has ever felt ready to have a child. Or father, I suppose. Some things are simply outside your control, my dear.”

But Moon needs control. “River…what are we going to do? We’re having a baby.”

River takes her hands. “I may not know what it takes to raise a Queen, but I know that all children must be raised with love. So start there. Talk to her, Moon.”

Talk to her? She’s only just started moving.

Moon gets caught up in the rush of the day, and it’s only later that night she feels the baby move again. She puts a hand over her stomach and asks, “What are you doing in there?”

The baby moves again, and Moon smiles. Talk to her, she can do that.

 

* * *

 

 

Moon looks at her husband and sighs. “Dear, no.”

River gasps and tears fill his eyes. “But it’s a family heirloom!!”

Moon eyes the chair carved with dragon heads and the dismembered creatures that hang out of their mouths. The baby kicks twice in rapid succession. Moon hopes that means the thing terrifies her.

“And it’s a lovely family heirloom,” Moon assures, and the baby kicks twice again. Oh, blast it all she likes the chair! Moon bites back a groan. “I just think the baby won’t fully…appreciate it right after she’s born. Let’s put it away and show it to her when she’s older.”

River deflates. “Yes my dear, I suppose you’re right.” Then he brightens up. “But how about this!” He holds up what Moon thinks is a rattle, the handle is made of what looks like bone and the rattle itself is…a dead and dried pufferfish. “This was my favorite when I was a baby!”

Moon’s stomach churns and even the baby does not stir. At least upon this, she and her daughter agree.

 

* * *

 

The baby kicks. Moon grimaces and places a hand over her stomach. She can feel a foot pressed firmly to the right side of her naval. Thirty-three days until the predicted birth and it cannot come soon enough. She misses the days when the baby’s movements were softer.

“My Queen?” Hekapoo prompts.

Moon sighs and rubs her temples. “The corn harvest is several months away, I should think it’s a little too early to plan for a celebration of the twelfth largest harvest ever. If that is all, I shall take myself and the future queen away.”

The high commission members stand and bow (aside from Lekmet, who merely bleats at her). It’s hard to walk gracefully when the unborn princess has now placed her other foot firmly under Moon’s ribcage, but she manages to keep her posture until she’s safely inside her own room.

“In the name of all the dimensional scissors to have ever existed!” Moon groans as she flops most ungracefully into a rocking chair, “You are giving me bruises!”

As she rocks, the baby removes her foot from Moon’s ribs, but she continues to squirm. From that first little movement, this baby has hardly stopped. Even at night Moon often finds herself waking up to kicks coming at her from all different places—it’s as if the little princess has four legs and six arms sometimes.

Moon still misses her mother terribly. She has the journals her mother kept during her pregnancy, a royal tradition, but it’s not the same as being able to ask her mother her questions face-to-face. Moon gently rubs circles over her stomach. There have been other royal babies who caused their mothers grief with their kicks, and the queens had given advice like, ‘Sing a song,’ or ‘Take a warm bath and drink a cup of tea,’ but those tricks didn’t work on this baby.

As the unborn princess begins to fuss again, Moon sighs and looks around to make sure she’s alone—she is, so she tosses her wand onto her bed and looks down at her stomach.

“For all of the horrible things I’ve said and done…”

The Whispering Spell never fails to calm the unborn princess.

 

* * *

 

Princess Star Butterfly is every bit the wiggly little handful she was when Moon was pregnant with her. Moon runs a kingdom, aching to be with her baby, but the nursemaids and nannies take care of her. They report that Star smiles constantly, she giggles at every little thing, and she’s already trying to walk. Moon squeezes in precious moments with Star whenever she can, kissing her little hands and feet (nearly getting a few teeth knocked out in the process) and etching every squeak and giggle that leaves her daughter’s mouth into her heart. Everything Moon does, she does for Star now. She thought she could never love anyone more than her own mother, father, and River, but that was before she held this little girl in her arms.

But Moon can’t relax, not even in those private moments. For every kiss she gives her daughter, she whispers wisdom into her skin. “Never look away from your enemy,” “Never turn your back,” “Always plan ten steps ahead of your situation.”

She knows Star doesn’t understand, but she hopes that if something happens to her, these little pieces of advice will come to Star if she needs them.

Moon hovers over Star and kisses her nose. “Remember,” she starts, but Star suddenly shoves her fingers into Moon’s mouth.

“Mama,” Star says.

Moon gasps. Star takes her hand back and waves it in front of her face, grinning. “Mama,” she says again.

Tears fill Moon’s eyes. “Remember that I love you,” she says.

 

* * *

 

Moon looks over Star’s latest assignment. Her handwriting is atrocious. “What does this say?” She asks the tutor.

The man shakes his head. “My Queen, this is completely normal for all children. She biologically lacks the coordination to form legible letters. She’s three.”

“But she’s not normal,” Moon sighs, rubbing her temples. “She has to know how to write.”

“It will come with time,” the tutor assures.

“Time is a luxury we don’t have,” Moon says. “Devote more time to handwriting practice.”

The tutor nods. “Yes, your Majesty.”

 

* * *

 

Sometimes at night, Moon gives River her wand, and she and Star hold hands and say the Whispering Spell together. Moon remembers doing something similar with her own mother—every Princess learns the Whispering Spell before they even get the wand. They have to, because it’s one of the few ways to ensure the wand will never fall into the wrong hands.

Star keeps a straight face when she says the spell, but Moon can see a twinkle of eagerness and delight in her eyes. Moon remembers how whispering with her mom made her feel; important, grown up, and special. She hopes Star feels the same way.

 

* * *

 

Moon’s jaw drops. “She what?!”

The nanny wrings her hands. “She wants to fight monsters, your Majesty.”

“Well, tell her no!” Moon says.

“I have!” The nanny cries, “Your Majesty, I have told her ‘no’ for months!”

“Months?!”

“This is not something new, she is very persistent. I can only tell her no so many times, at a certain point it has to come from her parents! Um, your Majesty.”

Moon bites the inside of her cheek. She knows that Star is obsessed with monsters, where most little princesses hold tea parties with their toys, Star creates full-on wars between Mewmans and monsters. She loves the story of Mewnipendence Day, but she focuses a little too much on the battle scenes in the pop-up book. She has as many pretend swords as she does pretend wands, and now she wants to fight monsters.

“She also wants a Warnicorn for her birthday, your Majesty.”

Moon closes her eyes. “Thank you for the report, you may go now.”

The nanny leaves, and Moon waits a moment before heading to the book of spells. “Glossaryck?”

The magic guide pops up, a bag of corn chips in his hands. “Yes, my queen?”

“I want to ask you about…Eclipsa.”

Glossaryck crunches a chip. Crumbs fall into the book. “What about her?”

Moon hesitates, wringing her hands. “What was she like…as a child?”

“I’m sure she was like any other child,” Glossaryck says. “She pooped in her diaper, she threw her peas against a wall—”

“Yes but was she violent?” Moon interrupts.

“You are aware I didn’t meet her until she was fourteen.”

“Surely you heard things,” Moon presses.

Glossaryck seems to think it over. “I heard she had quite the hobby.”

Moon leans in. “Yes? What was it?”

Glossaryck’s eyes widen dramatically. “When she was a child, Eclipsa used to…” he pauses, then his expression becomes one of boredom. “Pick flowers and press them in books.”

Moon resists the urge to hit her head against something. “Oh for heaven’s sake.”

“I don’t know what it is you want from me,” Glossaryck says.

“It’s Star!” Moon cries, “She’s obsessed with monsters! I just…I don’t want her growing up and…”

“Running off with one?” Glossaryck asks. “Your Majesty, may I remind you that Star is a child. She’s far from done growing and learning, and she may lose this interest. She may not, but that doesn’t mean she’ll give up the throne for one. Perhaps she’ll become a second monster-carver. Either way, you can’t dictate her future. Eventually, you’ll have to let her go and make her own mistakes.” Glossaryck eyes her seriously. “But please do not trust me on this. I have never raised a human infant before.”

Well, that’s one thing she and Glossaryck have in common. Still, Moon can’t deny that talking to him has made her feel better.

 

* * *

 

Star runs, shrieking her head off, down the hall. With her shoes flying and her dress hiked up to her hips, she looks like she’s fleeing a monster. Moon gives chase, and even running as fast as she can, Star is no match for her mother.

“I’ve got you!” Moon yells, grabbing Star around her waist and heaving her up. She takes a deep breath and blows a raspberry on her neck.

Star squirms. “Help! The mommy monster is going to eat me!” She screams, but she’s smiling.

Moon carries Star back to her classroom. She’s dismissed the tutor for the day, it’s just her and Star in the entire wing of the castle. “The mommy monster is going to watch you like a hawk now,” Moon says firmly, “No more funny business, it’s time to practice!”

“But writing is boooooring,” Star whines.

“A lot of things in life are boring,” Moon says, “But we can’t run away from all of them.”

“What’s that mean?” Star asks.

Moon sits Star down at the table and pulls the paper and pen closer. “It means it’s time to show mommy how you write.”

Star takes the pen reluctantly. “What should I write?”

Moon checks quickly to make sure they are, indeed, alone. “How about I teach you how to write the whisper?”

Star looks absolutely delighted. “Yes!” She shouts, “Teach me—”

Moon shushes her quickly.

“Teach me the whisper,” Star says quietly.

Moon patiently spells out each word for Star. She’s never seen her daughter so focused before, her brow furrowed and her tongue poking out between her lips. It’s adorable, and Moon is proud of how diligently Star copies the words, over and over.

Finally, Moon decides that Star has practiced enough.

“Leave the papers,” she tells Star, “I’ll put them away. You can go play now.”

Star scampers off, and Moon looks over the papers. Star’s handwriting improves with each page, and while her penmanship leaves much to be desired, it’s passable. Moon touches the words on the page.

 _‘Are you seeing this, mom?’_ She wonders.

But the papers can’t stay. Moon takes them to the fire place and throws them in one at a time, making sure they burn completely. There can be no record of the Whispering Spell.

 

* * *

 

Star never stops wanting to fight monsters. After a while, Moon stops trying to stop her. After all, she knows for a fact that River sneaks out to fight monsters when he should be going to give lectures, it’s just one more thing her daughter inherited from her father. Moon does her best to impress upon the Star the importance of everything she teaches, but she stops short of explaining why. Star rolls her eyes, complains, slouches, and sasses her, and Moon could probably do more to stop her, but she doesn’t. She’s just happy that she’s present for these moments of Star’s life, and with the monsters mostly quiet, it looks like she’ll continue to be.

 _‘Give me strength,’_ Moon begs her mother on Star’s fourteenth birthday. She wants to be part of her daughter’s life for a long time, but she could do without some of these theatrics.

And then Star goes and sets the kingdom on fire. Moon closes her eyes and breathes slowly. Some things there is just no preparing for, like sending her daughter to a dimension without magic. But if it will keep her safe…

Well, Moon will do what she can to protect her, but she’ll also do her best to let Star go and make her own mistakes. How much trouble can she get up to on Earth, really?


End file.
